Russian PSM Pistol (5.45x18)

oldbillthundercheif · June 8, 2007, 03:15 AM

I stumbled upon this web-page the other day:
http://www.enemyforces.com/firearms/psm.htm

I don't think I've ever seen one of these. Are there any in the US? Is ammo available?

All that I know about this pistol and its ammo comes from that page and one sentance in a massive book about Russian political influence in South America (Fidel and Raul Castro were presented with these pistols on a trip to Moscow).

So what's the deal with these hypervelocity pocket pistols? Remove the fog of ignorance from my ruski-milsurp obsessed mind.

denfoote · June 8, 2007, 03:44 AM

Quote:

In 1973 the Izhevsk Mechanical Plant began producing the 5.45mm PSM small self-loading pistol developed by a group of Tula designers: Tikhon Lashnev, Anatoly Samarin and Lev Kulikov.

Nope.
None into the USA.
Not enough import points.

Quote:

The pistol was primarily intended for army high command staff.

Presumably to: "Do the right thing, Comrade General. The KGB is on their way!!!"

Quote:

However, owing to its insignificant dimensions, especially small thickness (21 mm across the safety catch), it soon became popular with security and law enforcement personnel. The PSM was also appreciated by higher echelon Party functionaries.

Read: KGB assassination pistol!!!

Also, every so often, Politburo members were expected to "do the right thing"!!!
Especially if they didn't meet their quotas or pissed off the Chairman of the Party!!

SDC · June 8, 2007, 07:34 AM

Ammunition is available on the collector's market, but at a price you wouldn't pay if you wanted to shoot the pistol. This thing is really meant as sort of a "hide-out" assassination pistol (it's amazingly thin, with no protruding knobs, switchs, levers, etc.), and the ammo has a steel penetrator core in it (which makes it a "cop-killer bullet" in the US).
There's a complete and sectioned round at the right end of the bottom row in this pic:

newerguy · June 8, 2007, 08:31 AM

SDC, That is some collection of AP bullets. What's that first one (the long one with the flachette)? One of them looks like a wadcutter with a regular pan head screw screwed into it (some guys attempt at a homemade AP bullet, or did somebody pay for that design work)?

pesta2 · June 8, 2007, 08:49 AM

The first one:

http://www.thegunzone.com/spiw.html

I have a 5.45x18 in my collection from what I read they have the power level of a .22 mag.

SDC · June 8, 2007, 09:21 AM

Hi, newerguy; pesta2 is right about the first one (an XM645 SPIW flechette). These were hand-loaded by IVI at a cost of $3.50 per round, then fired off at a rate of up to 2,000 rounds per minute in the various Special Purpose Individual Weapon test rifles; they had some amazing AP abilities (and would turn into large "fish hooks" when they hit a soft target), but they could never get the accuracy they needed out of them. The one with a screw in the middle is an "Omni-Shok" 38 Special, which was sold as an "all-purpose" self-defence round. The screw is threaded into a wadcutter bullet that's been cut into 4 wedges about 2/3s of the way down, so the bullet opens up into a 4-bladed propellor shape on impact, and the screw gives it a certain amount of "armour-piercing" ability.

Gunfighterholsters · June 9, 2007, 01:06 AM

I had one of these Military PSM pistols. I received it as a gift in 1990 when escorting a Soviet Admiral throughout the East Coast of the USA on a "Good Will" visit under the first Bush Administration. Five standard blued PSM's were presented to the 3 US Security Agents working the detail for the Admiral, 1 engraved PSM was presented to a 4 star admiral, and the last was supposedly resented to the Secretary of Defense.

Mine was brand new with alluminum one piece grips. It was about half the width of a PPK pistol, with the only safety being mounted on the back of the slide. It came with 500 rounds of AP ammo, a brown military style hip holster, cleaning rod and Russian manual, that felt like it was printed on US Govt issue toilet paper. I never fired it. I kept it unti 2000 when a Machine Gun Collector offered me $3800 for it. It was never properly imported into the USA, but when I formally asked a friend in BATF, he said that there was really nothing that could be done to the owner of a PSM once it was in the USA. The ammo is not considered AP since it is actually smaller than .22 caliber. 5.45 is smaller than that legally listed as AP.

A buddy in the US Secret Service has two of these pistols. He has fired one extensively. The first rounds will definitely go through soft armor up to Level 11, but not much higher. I still have about 1-200 rounds of this I have sold to collectors for $7-$8 buck a round. Lower prices to shooters. I have seen different rounds go for $10 or so to advanced collectors. I have reloading data from my White House friend, and he has a German Walther PPk that was converted to 5.45x18mm and he fires that one also with reloaded 5.45x18mm ammo using Vihta Vourhi powder and 22 Remington Jet bullets. I think a military PSM sold at auction a couple years ago with all accessories and letter from US Secret Service big wig for $6000. I sold spare mags and spare magazines to collectors for $195 per mag and $50-$75 for manuals. I may still have some military shoulder holsters for them also....but would have to look.

I liked the PSM, it had very light recoil. It was not particularly loud when compared to a Walther TPH in .22 or Walther PPKs in .22 lr. It is extremely flat, and relatively accurately. I would estimate that only a few are in the USA in the hands of former Federal Agents. Harrison Carroll, a west Coat USA dealer had one back in 1993-4 for the high $3000 range with no ammo.

Neat gun if you have the money. They are not made anymore. A buddy in Iraq recovered a silenced one from a Jihadi. He said the silencer was 1'x7" long and it sounded like a pellet pistol and could penetrate a soft kevlar vest - probably level 2a by old NIJ standards.

I'll try and post a link to some pictures if I can get someone to scan them for me.

oldbillthundercheif · June 9, 2007, 09:44 PM

Nice gift!

Cripes, I had no idea they were that scarce. I don't think I have that kind of cash for anything that does not require a $200 tax-stamp. They are pretty nifty, though. Post the pics if you can, holster-man. It's still an interesting piece of history.

Missing Something · August 15, 2011, 06:35 PM

Just wanted to revive this post... I may be able to get my hands on one of these pistols.... (God willing and the water dont rise)...

Anyone have any line on manuals?

There was a post by Gunfighterholsters. He seems to have had only 1 post and his email is also invalid... Anybody have any additional info on the pistols?

swopjan · August 16, 2011, 06:49 AM

shotgun news ran an article on them a few weeks back, you could try to pick up a copy or maybe check their website.

Sharpsdressed Man · August 16, 2011, 04:17 PM

So, those "gift" pistols were basically smuggled into the US by a visiting Russian military officer? I wonder about the legality of owning them in the US, and the legality of accepting "gifts" from foreign military or diplomats. Can anyone cite US law that allows for this?

raftman · August 16, 2011, 07:41 PM

Better question is... where's any proof that it's illegal? After all, it's innocent until proven guilty, not the other way around.

June 8, 2007, 03:15 AM	#1
oldbillthundercheif Junior member Join Date: April 21, 2006 Location: New Orleans Posts: 2,450	Russian PSM Pistol (5.45x18) I stumbled upon this web-page the other day: http://www.enemyforces.com/firearms/psm.htm I don't think I've ever seen one of these. Are there any in the US? Is ammo available? All that I know about this pistol and its ammo comes from that page and one sentance in a massive book about Russian political influence in South America (Fidel and Raul Castro were presented with these pistols on a trip to Moscow). So what's the deal with these hypervelocity pocket pistols? Remove the fog of ignorance from my ruski-milsurp obsessed mind.

June 8, 2007, 07:34 AM	#3
SDC Senior Member Join Date: January 23, 2001 Location: People's Republic of Kanada Posts: 1,652	Ammunition is available on the collector's market, but at a price you wouldn't pay if you wanted to shoot the pistol. This thing is really meant as sort of a "hide-out" assassination pistol (it's amazingly thin, with no protruding knobs, switchs, levers, etc.), and the ammo has a steel penetrator core in it (which makes it a "cop-killer bullet" in the US). There's a complete and sectioned round at the right end of the bottom row in this pic: __________________ Gun control in Canada: making the streets safer for rapists, muggers, and other violent criminals since 1936.

June 8, 2007, 08:49 AM	#5
pesta2 Senior Member Join Date: June 1, 2006 Location: Fairmont, WV Posts: 1,682	The first one: http://www.thegunzone.com/spiw.html I have a 5.45x18 in my collection from what I read they have the power level of a .22 mag. __________________ http://www.stevekonya.com

June 8, 2007, 09:21 AM	#6
SDC Senior Member Join Date: January 23, 2001 Location: People's Republic of Kanada Posts: 1,652	Hi, newerguy; pesta2 is right about the first one (an XM645 SPIW flechette). These were hand-loaded by IVI at a cost of $3.50 per round, then fired off at a rate of up to 2,000 rounds per minute in the various Special Purpose Individual Weapon test rifles; they had some amazing AP abilities (and would turn into large "fish hooks" when they hit a soft target), but they could never get the accuracy they needed out of them. The one with a screw in the middle is an "Omni-Shok" 38 Special, which was sold as an "all-purpose" self-defence round. The screw is threaded into a wadcutter bullet that's been cut into 4 wedges about 2/3s of the way down, so the bullet opens up into a 4-bladed propellor shape on impact, and the screw gives it a certain amount of "armour-piercing" ability. __________________ Gun control in Canada: making the streets safer for rapists, muggers, and other violent criminals since 1936.

June 9, 2007, 01:06 AM	#7
Gunfighterholsters Junior Member Join Date: June 9, 2007 Location: Norfolk, VA Posts: 1	I had one of these Military PSM pistols. I received it as a gift in 1990 when escorting a Soviet Admiral throughout the East Coast of the USA on a "Good Will" visit under the first Bush Administration. Five standard blued PSM's were presented to the 3 US Security Agents working the detail for the Admiral, 1 engraved PSM was presented to a 4 star admiral, and the last was supposedly resented to the Secretary of Defense. Mine was brand new with alluminum one piece grips. It was about half the width of a PPK pistol, with the only safety being mounted on the back of the slide. It came with 500 rounds of AP ammo, a brown military style hip holster, cleaning rod and Russian manual, that felt like it was printed on US Govt issue toilet paper. I never fired it. I kept it unti 2000 when a Machine Gun Collector offered me $3800 for it. It was never properly imported into the USA, but when I formally asked a friend in BATF, he said that there was really nothing that could be done to the owner of a PSM once it was in the USA. The ammo is not considered AP since it is actually smaller than .22 caliber. 5.45 is smaller than that legally listed as AP. A buddy in the US Secret Service has two of these pistols. He has fired one extensively. The first rounds will definitely go through soft armor up to Level 11, but not much higher. I still have about 1-200 rounds of this I have sold to collectors for $7-$8 buck a round. Lower prices to shooters. I have seen different rounds go for $10 or so to advanced collectors. I have reloading data from my White House friend, and he has a German Walther PPk that was converted to 5.45x18mm and he fires that one also with reloaded 5.45x18mm ammo using Vihta Vourhi powder and 22 Remington Jet bullets. I think a military PSM sold at auction a couple years ago with all accessories and letter from US Secret Service big wig for $6000. I sold spare mags and spare magazines to collectors for $195 per mag and $50-$75 for manuals. I may still have some military shoulder holsters for them also....but would have to look. I liked the PSM, it had very light recoil. It was not particularly loud when compared to a Walther TPH in .22 or Walther PPKs in .22 lr. It is extremely flat, and relatively accurately. I would estimate that only a few are in the USA in the hands of former Federal Agents. Harrison Carroll, a west Coat USA dealer had one back in 1993-4 for the high $3000 range with no ammo. Neat gun if you have the money. They are not made anymore. A buddy in Iraq recovered a silenced one from a Jihadi. He said the silencer was 1'x7" long and it sounded like a pellet pistol and could penetrate a soft kevlar vest - probably level 2a by old NIJ standards. I'll try and post a link to some pictures if I can get someone to scan them for me. __________________ A steady hand with a proper Gun is always better than a sharp kick and a chin jab, but it is not always as satisfying!

June 8, 2007, 08:31 AM	#4
newerguy Senior Member Join Date: June 5, 2005 Posts: 218	SDC, That is some collection of AP bullets. What's that first one (the long one with the flachette)? One of them looks like a wadcutter with a regular pan head screw screwed into it (some guys attempt at a homemade AP bullet, or did somebody pay for that design work)?

June 9, 2007, 09:44 PM	#8
oldbillthundercheif Junior member Join Date: April 21, 2006 Location: New Orleans Posts: 2,450	Nice gift! Cripes, I had no idea they were that scarce. I don't think I have that kind of cash for anything that does not require a $200 tax-stamp. They are pretty nifty, though. Post the pics if you can, holster-man. It's still an interesting piece of history.

August 15, 2011, 06:35 PM	#9
Missing Something Junior Member Join Date: August 14, 2011 Posts: 2	Just wanted to revive this post... I may be able to get my hands on one of these pistols.... (God willing and the water dont rise)... Anyone have any line on manuals? There was a post by Gunfighterholsters. He seems to have had only 1 post and his email is also invalid... Anybody have any additional info on the pistols?

August 16, 2011, 06:49 AM	#10
swopjan Senior Member Join Date: August 12, 2011 Posts: 156	shotgun news ran an article on them a few weeks back, you could try to pick up a copy or maybe check their website.

August 16, 2011, 04:17 PM	#11
Sharpsdressed Man Junior member Join Date: June 21, 2009 Location: NE Ohio Posts: 1,176	So, those "gift" pistols were basically smuggled into the US by a visiting Russian military officer? I wonder about the legality of owning them in the US, and the legality of accepting "gifts" from foreign military or diplomats. Can anyone cite US law that allows for this?

August 16, 2011, 07:41 PM	#12
raftman Senior Member Join Date: May 4, 2009 Location: Oregon Posts: 1,890	Better question is... where's any proof that it's illegal? After all, it's innocent until proven guilty, not the other way around. __________________ "My momma, she done told me, there's heart and then there's hate If one of 'em's inside of you, the other one, it aint."